You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 57 Morning Morning
the next day.

Early in the morning, all the officials waited outside the palace gates, ready to attend court.

In the past, when the palace gates were closed, the officials would gather in twos and threes and chat quietly.

But today, not a single official was in the mood to gather and chat; they all stood quietly, waiting for the palace gates to open.

Furthermore, each official looked unusual, as if they were preoccupied with something.

The events of yesterday had such a profound impact on the officials that they are still somewhat shaken.

General Wu Jin, one of the four most powerful ministers who wielded immense influence in the court, was actually stripped of his family property and his clan exterminated.

This is utterly shocking.

Who is General Wu Jin?
That was the Emperor's father-in-law, one of the four great ministers who assisted the country left by the late Emperor, and a powerful minister in charge of the six southern guards of the Twelve Divine Martial Guards.

In addition to his own peak Grandmaster strength, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could command a large following in the imperial court.

Even a veteran like Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, who served three dynasties, was extremely wary of General Wu Jin.

Yet this very person died yesterday; his family was raided and his clan exterminated.

At the same time, more than twenty court officials, including the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites, were also subjected to confiscation of their property and extermination of their families.

Each of these officials wields real power.

But yesterday, they were all taken down in one fell swoop.

Even Empress Wu Ying, who once ruled under two emperors, died yesterday in the square outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

This sudden turn of events left the officials terrified.

They were afraid of being implicated or affected in some way.

Especially now, martial law is still in effect in Luoyang, the four gates and nine city walls of Luoyang remain sealed off, and the imperial guards and secret police are still arresting people and confiscating property everywhere.

It's no wonder that the officials were terrified.

"Click."

The palace door is wide open.

All the officials entered the palace together and arrived outside the Golden Palace.

According to their official rank, they proceeded in an orderly fashion along both sides of the imperial road into the Golden Palace.

After all the civil and military officials entered the court.

Zhou Chencai, dressed in a dragon robe, walked out from the special imperial road next to the Golden Palace, stepped onto the dragon platform, sat on the dragon throne, and looked down at the assembled officials.

"Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor."

All the officials knelt down and kowtowed in respect.

Zhou Chen leaned slightly against the dragon throne, looking at the kneeling officials below; more than twenty were missing.

In particular, the person kneeling at the front should have been four people, but now only Prime Minister Yuan Bo was kneeling alone.

Needless to say, those missing officials were the ones whose homes were ransacked and whose families were wiped out by Zhou Chen yesterday.

This was still before Zhou Chen had made any major entanglements; he had only ordered the removal of important officials from the Empress's family and relatives' faction.

As for those unimportant officials, Zhou Chen did not make a move.

It wasn't that Zhou Chen was soft-hearted, but rather that he knew that if he were to make a large-scale implicating move and order the removal of all officials associated with the maternal relatives' faction, it would be disastrous.

I'm afraid at least half of the civil and military officials in the court will be gone.

When that time comes, who will handle state affairs?

The central nervous system will become paralyzed.

In that case, it would be a losing proposition.

It would be better to keep these people for now and prepare them slowly later.

Zhou Chen looked at the kneeling officials below and calmly said, "All of you, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Only then did the officials dare to stand up.

This has always been the custom for the morning court session.

If the emperor does not order the officials to rise, then all the officials must remain kneeling during the morning court session.

"When there is something going on, we will start, and when there is nothing going on, we will retreat."

Cao Zhengchun's sharp voice rang out.

All the officials bowed their heads in silence.

No one stood up to object.

In fact, during today's morning court session, none of the officials knew how to respond. Looking at the Golden Palace, which should have been filled with officials, it was now much emptier, with more than twenty colleagues missing. The officials had no choice but to pretend to be deaf and dumb.

At this point, silence is the best option.

"how?"

"Is the entire Zhou dynasty truly peaceful and prosperous?"

"Don't any of you have important matters to report?"

Zhou Chen surveyed the assembled officials with a blank expression and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I remember that you all submitted memorials together about the Empress and the Grand Tutor for half a month."

"What, now that you see so many colleagues missing from your side, you've all gone silent?"

Zhou Chen's gaze settled on Prime Minister Yuan Bo at the very front.

"Prime Minister, you must know that yesterday, more than twenty officials from the General's Mansion, including the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites, had their homes ransacked and their families exterminated!"

"Don't you have anything to play?"

When the officials stormed the palace before, this old fox caused Zhou Chen a lot of trouble.

Now that Zhou Chen has the opportunity, he naturally can't let this old fox go.

"Your Majesty, this old minister is also puzzled by this matter."

"Why have more than twenty court officials, including the Grand General, the Minister of Personnel, and the Minister of Rites, been convicted and ordered to have their families confiscated and their families exterminated?"

"This has caused turmoil in the court, and officials are in a state of panic. I beg Your Majesty to enlighten this old minister and all officials."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Yuan Bo stepped forward expressionlessly and spoke.

Now that the Emperor has singled him out, Prime Minister Yuan Bo can no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb.

However, Prime Minister Yuan Bo was a cunning old fox, and his words were very skillful, giving Zhou Chen no chance to make a move.

Need clarification?

Zhou Chen sneered inwardly.

He's a real old fox. Seeing that General Wu Jin and his family were all wiped out, he speaks so shrewdly.

It makes it impossible for anyone to seize any opportunity.

Zhou Chen shifted his gaze from Prime Minister Yuan Bo, glanced at the officials, and said, "You all, like the Prime Minister, must want to know why the General, the Minister of Personnel, and the others were convicted!"

"Then I will tell you."

"General Wu Jin conspired with more than 20 officials, including the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Rites, to stage a coup, and was therefore convicted."

"Furthermore, I have also discovered that the Empress's faction plotted to murder me."

"Didn't you all keep clamoring for evidence?"

"I will give you the evidence now."

At this point, Zhou Chen glanced at Cao Zhengchun beside him.

"Cao Zhengchun".

"Show all the evidence to the officials."

"Let all the officials see how loyal and patriotic I, a good minister of the Great Zhou, am."

Zhou Chen's face was full of sarcasm.

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun immediately took a stack of small folded documents and went down to hand them to the officials.

To be honest, the officials were somewhat shocked when they heard Zhou Chen say that General Wu Jin and the Minister of Personnel were plotting a coup.

They did not believe that General Wu Jin and the Minister of Personnel would conspire to rebel or stage a coup.

But Zhou Chen produced evidence, so the officials had no choice but to examine what kind of evidence it was.

The officials received the small memorial from Cao Zhengchun with doubt in their eyes.

The officials opened the small folded document and took a look.

Everyone's expression changed.

Even Prime Minister Yuan Bo's hand trembled slightly after reading the contents of the memorial.

Although only a few pieces of evidence are recorded above, each one is chilling.

And all of them have irrefutable evidence.

Each piece of evidence is enough to lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family.

After reviewing the evidence, all the officials remained silent.

(End of this chapter)